Monday, September 30, 2013

Before September Ends

The new Lorelei is all finished, in fact she was done before mid-August, I've been lolling about, with no good excuse for where I've been. Apart from those two surgeries I had over the summer - sounds quite dramatic, doesn't it? It was just dental surgery to fix some receding gums. I've been telling everyone I now have the gums of a teenager, but, I digress...

back to Lorelei. I re-knit the entire doll (I won't bother linking to her, since she was just in the last post). Her new tail is a lovely soft shade of ice blue, her skin is no longer lumpy, stinky cotton, but a soft peach wool, and her hair is strands of bright orange sock yarn and apricot-coloured mohair. Her sea-shell bra is made from the same metallic aqua yarn as the last one, and I re-used the bean bag derriere for her stuffing. The new Lorelei also has a much better face - my embroidery skills still leave a lot to be desired.

Isn't she sweet? Now Barnacle Bill the Pirate has a significant other.

Octo Puss isn't so sure about the new arrangement.

Also off the needles "recently" (as in, early August, earlier even than Lorelei), is another new shawl. This one is called Billie Holiday by Susanna IC. This is a very quick knit, one great, big enormous cast-on, a not-too-intricate beaded lace section, then short rowed stocking stitch with an optional beaded cast-off. I chose to add the beads to the cast-off, but you can't see it in this particular snap. The beads add a lovely weight to the drape of this shawl. I worked it in Highland Alpaca Fino by Scachenmayr, in a beautiful shade of midnight blue. The photo doesn't do the colour justice, it's deep and rich, the silver-lined beads look just like stars twinkling in the night sky.

Also, from way back in August, is the Troll by Alan Dart. He was worked up in bits and pieces from the substantial yarn stash that lives in our house, and came out quite adorable. The main body was knit in a very, very natural yarn. It has a lot of lanolin in it, as though it were spun right off the sheep, out in a field somewhere. It makes for quite a coarse textured skin, but quite fitting for a big, ugly troll.

His hair is suppose to be sewn on across the back of the head, from ear to ear, but Ian suggested a Mohawk might look more hip...

and so, Hipster Troll.

Stay tuned, since tomorrow is the start of October, perhaps I'll be back to update you on the September's knitting shenanigans.